IDDS: International Development Design Summit
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Overview
The International Development Design Summit (IDDS) is a program organized in partnership with MIT D-Lab that brings together participants and organizers from diverse countries to co-create Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in sectors like health, education, agriculture, and income generation.
My Role
I have served as Lead Instructor and Organizer for multiple IDDS summits:
- IDDS Botswana (2015, 2016, 2018): Lead instructor at D’kar Innovation Center, creating technologies to increase desert livelihoods. The 2018 summit created 8 technologies over 4 weeks.
- IDDS Pakistan (2016): Organized summit at Information Technology University, Lahore with 40 participants from 15 countries creating 6 ICT technologies
- IDDS Tanzania (2014): Instructor at VETA, Arusha
- IDDS Ghana (2011): Participant at KNUST, Kumasi
Methodology
The summits follow a co-design curriculum focused on:
- Participatory design with marginalized communities
- Rapid prototyping and iteration
- Technology appropriate for low-resource settings
- Training local “makers” to sustain innovations
Funding
- IDIN Summit Grant, MIT D-Lab (2016): $30,000 for organizing IDDS Pakistan
Teaching
This work has informed my course SI591: Humanitarian Innovation: Co-Design for Social Impact at the University of Michigan School of Information.